Harry Kane Named Germany’s Player of the Year 2026
BERLIN — Harry Kane’s first full chapter in German football has its headline now: Germany’s Player of the Year 2026.
The Bayern Munich striker swept the vote of the Association of German Sports Journalists (VDS), capping a season in which he scored at a rate the Bundesliga has rarely seen. Kane hit 61 goals in all competitions for Bayern, including the German Supercup, driving the club to another Bundesliga title and the German Cup. He finished the campaign with a hat trick in the cup final, the defining flourish of a year dominated by his finishing.
The England captain topped the annual poll, organized by Kicker magazine, with 272 votes from 659 VDS members. That tally put him clear of Bayern teammate Michael Olise, who collected 203 votes after his own standout season.
- Deniz Undav was a distant third with 61 votes.
- Joshua Kimmich, another Bayern mainstay, followed with 21.
- Hoffenheim goalkeeper Oliver Baumann received 14.
Kicker reported three invalid ballots in the count.
Kane has not slowed with the new campaign underway. On Saturday, he helped Bayern lift yet another trophy, the German Supercup, in a 2-1 win at Borussia Dortmund. He didn’t score this time, but his presence and link play underpinned a performance that suggested Bayern’s attack will again run through him.
On the touchline, Vincent Kompany’s impact was recognized just as emphatically. The Bayern coach claimed nearly half of all votes in the coach of the year category, finishing comfortably ahead of Freiburg’s Julian Schuster, last year’s winner. Kompany’s award underlines how quickly he has stamped his authority on the Bavarian powerhouse, guiding them through another trophy-laden season.
Florian Wirtz held the Player of the Year title last year. Now it belongs to Kane, whose name joins a list that stretches back to 1960. Franz Beckenbauer still stands alone with four wins in the player category, the benchmark for enduring greatness in German football.
Coaches have been honored since 2002, a roll of names dominated by Jürgen Klopp and Felix Magath, both three-time winners. Kompany has some way to go to reach that company.
Given the way this season has started, he and Kane look intent on trying.
